Behind her strength – Chapter 21

Aya felt a surge of energy, pushing her body to its limits and unleashing an aura of power that was impossible to ignore. 

With a rush of adrenaline and determination, she finally broke through her limitations and unlocked a new skill, relying solely on her own force of will to achieve what she had thought impossible. 

Aya remained oblivious to the sudden increase in her speed and agility, but her body moved so quickly that she shifted towards the confused troll before it could even react. 

She was moving around the troll at a significant speed, leaving the troll confused. And with a swift and precise movement, she unleashed a series of cuts with her daggers, leaving the troll with numerous injuries. 

In a flash, Aya went for the troll's neck and made a clean, fatal cut, which ended its life. 

The troll's head fell to the ground as the white-haired girl landed on her feet after reaching the height of the troll.

Theresa watched in awe at the sudden strength that she just saw. Not to mention the fact that Aya used just two daggers to completely defeat a large troll. 

That alone was something impressive that left Theresa with stern, widened eyes.

'She defeated it....' was all Theresa could think after seeing the troll's massive figure collapse to the ground after its head was separated from its body.

However, once Aya shifted past the defeated troll, her glowing aura vanished, leaving her muscles weak from the abrupt change. She knew that she had defeated the troll, which is why she let her guard down for a few seconds, causing her body to suddenly tremble from this new skill.

Theresa picked up on what was happening to Aya, which is why, before she could collapse on the ground, she ran straight to her and caught her body before she could fall down.

Aya's tired eyes looked up and saw Theresa's figure carrying her in her arms after realizing that she lacked the energy to do anything.

"Did I… pass the exam?" She tiredly asked, her eyes half open from having her stamina taken away.

Theresa smiled. "You did more than pass the exam. But for now, try to rest. Your body has been overstrained from using 'Art enhancement."

Aya couldn't really understand what Theresa was talking about. However, she did feel proud that she managed to reach the new rank by defeating the troll. With this, she knew that she was going to meet Hiroki's expectations.

Theresa, who was now holding the sleeping girl in her arms, closely looked at the cute features of her face. She knew that after seeing this demonstration, Aya held great potential for her powers. But after she used 'Art enhancement, things changed.

'To think that there would be someone else with such talent.' 

Theresa shook her head before heading out of the cave, away from other potential wandering trolls. 

'If it's her… maybe I can get her to join me….'

Staying in the cave any longer would pose a significant risk, and returning to town while carrying the girl would hinder Theresa's ability to defend herself against potential encounters with wandering monsters or bandits. 

With Aya needing time to regain her strength, Theresa made the decision to locate a safe spot away from the cave and establish a makeshift camp.

The place where Theresa had chosen to set up a temporary camp was nestled amidst a cluster of large, sprawling trees, offering a comforting sense of protection against formidable creatures. 

But since she lacked the necessary materials for a proper camp, Theresa had to rely on improvisation. 

She carefully laid the girl down on a patch of soft grass and set up a modest campfire using a small wooden structure.

It didn't even take more than two hours before Aya woke up again from her sleep. She could feel that she was still exhausted, but at the same time, she knew that it wasn't the perfect time to rest and be a burden to Theresa.

"Are you able to move?" 

Looking up at the slightly worried voice, Aya noticed the red-haired girl who was sitting almost right by her side to warm up on the fire.

"Yes, I can handle this much." Aya replied softly, her voice filled with determination. 

However, as she rose to her feet, a peculiar sensation washed over her head, providing an unexpected sense of relief. 

Intrigued, she instinctively reached up to touch her hair, only to discover that the hat of her cloak had slipped off, exposing her flowing white color. Her eyes widened in shock, unprepared for such carelessness in the presence of a seasoned adventurer of such strength.

"You don't need to worry about that. I don't know what happened to your hair, but I don't plan on taking any sort of measurement that would cause you any trouble or misinformation." Theresa casually responded without giving the nervous girl a glance. "However, I wouldn't lie if I said I was curious about it."

Upon realizing that Theresa didn't give the reaction that she was expecting, she clenched her own cloak before telling her the same made-up story that Hiroki had told her. Theresa listened with great care and tried to understand how this sort of curse could have happened.

But despite this made-up story not being true, Thersa could sense a bit of courage in the girl's voice. She didn't seem to mind that her hair had become white because of this curse.

'It's almost as if... she has embraced it….' Were Theresa's thoughts at that moment.

After several more minutes of resting, once Aya could properly move, Theresa put out the fire before departing back to the guild before the night would come. 

At the guild, Mirai appeared to have been anxiously awaiting their return, having already completed most of her duties at the front desk. The moment Aya and Theresa stepped into the guild, Mirai's face lit up with anticipation, eager to learn the outcome of the rank-up exam.

With a small smile, Theresa confirmed her successful promotion to C rank. 

Mirai, relieved to hear that Aya had passed without any injuries, wasted no time and swiftly returned to her desk. From there, she retrieved a newly crafted custom metal guild card for Aya, as if she had prepared it in advance and was ready to present it upon her return.

Even Theresa seemed surprised by the priorities this girl had.

Since Theresa got her payment for taking on the task of examining Aya, she took a look inside the bag of coins before putting it in her waist pouch. 

"How about I treat both of you to a nice dinner tonight? I'm sure that's not a bad idea." Mirai suggested right before Theresa could take her leave.

"I appreciate the offer, but I can't." Theresa rejected, her mind seemingly focused on something else.

Mirai couldn't just force her to accept her invitation, so she tried being respectful of her choices. After all, she was in charge of Aya's examination. 

"And you, Aya?" Her eyes shifted toward the cloaked girl.

"I'm sorry, Miss Mirai. But I can't as well." Aya slightly bowed as she rejected her offer as well. "I really want to tell Hiroki about my rank."

Mirai softly smiled. "If that's the case, then it can't be helped."

Once Mirai, Theresa, and Aya greeted each other, they all went their separate ways. 

Aya went straight ahead to the mansion where she now lives with Hiroki.

An excited smile could be seen on her face as she ran straight ahead to the mansion. She has never felt like this before, and she couldn't even imagine how Hiroki was going to react to this good news. 

Was he going to be happy? Proud? Or perhaps reward her with a gift?

It didn't take long before she arrived at the mansion, which is why she quickly entered through the gates before noticing how all of the windows were lit up. 

There wasn't any reason why Hiroki would light up the whole mansion, that's why Aya found it a bit confusing at first. Usually, Hiroki worked in the dark. That was more of a reason why she thought something was up.

But just standing in front of the gates of the house wasn't going to help her understand why, so she went to the front main door and entered inside. 

However, what she saw next made her even more confused. As soon as she entered, she noticed that she wasn't alone. 

Dusting away and cleaning up the floors were several maid-looking girls. In some places, there were some young kids carrying around objects or clothes. The whole place was being turned and cleaned around at a quick pace, to the point where Aya didn't recognize at first how spacious this whole mansion actually was.

Where did all of the girls come from? Did Hiroki hire them all?

Aya was standing still with curious eyes, wondering who these many people were, when a certain-looking lady came towards her. Aya looked up at her and noticed she was wearing proper maid clothes, her hair tied behind her head, and her relaxed brown eyes were gazing at the girl with the cloak over her head.

"Are you perhaps Master's mistress?" The woman asked, keeping her voice calm in order not to sound rude to the girl.

Aya's cheeks reddened in embarrassment before she gasped at how she was addressed.

"M-mistress?" She repeated, her excitement clearly showing on her face. "N-no, I'm not that worthy to be something like that." 

The maid softly giggled as she saw the way this girl reacted. 

"Then may I know who you are?"

This maid seemed to know very well who Aya was, however, she couldn't resist the urge to keep teasing her.

"I…." 

Aya seemed a bit unsure of how to respond. She always wanted to grow stronger, so her past wasn't going to repeat itself again. However, now that she had Hiroki, she knew that her strength wasn't going to be meaningless. But right now, she questioned herself. 

What was she to Hiroki? He never showed any signs of love or affection towards her, so she wasn't sure in what part of his heart she belonged.

"I'm sorry if I have offended you, little miss. Our master has already informed everyone about you. So you don't need to feel like that. This was simply an unnecessary joke of mine. I apologize if I happened to offend you." The maid fixed her composure before slightly bowing toward Aya.

"Ah, no. It's okay…" 

Aya softly responded before snapping back to the main question of who all of these maids were.

Sensing Aya's confusion, the maid thought it was best for Hiroki to explain the situation to her. That's why she moved one of her arms, pointing towards the second floor of this mansion.

"If you're looking for the master, he's in his new office at the end of the hallway on the second floor," 

Aya thanked the maid before heading to the new office that Hiroki had prepared. On the way, however, she also noticed the way this whole place was being cleaned out. It was as if this whole mansion were a completely different place.

While she was walking towards the newly empty hallway, she noticed a small figure carrying several sheets on her arms, completely covering half of her upper body. 

She knew that she was a young girl, which is why she tried to avoid bumping into her. But despite that, the little girl still tripped and fell flat to the floor due to not being able to see from the sheets she was carrying.

"O-ouch!" 

Aya saw how clumsy the little girl was, which is why she quickly went towards her in order to help her up.

"Are you okay?" Aya worriedly asked.

The small little maid, who held two brown pigtails, looked up at the concerned, cloaked girl with a small smile on her face. However, the moment Aya got a glance at the girl, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Ah, y-yes. I'm okay, thank you," the small maid reassured. "I know I'm a bit clumsy, but I can manage this much."

Aya, who saw the unexpected figure of the small maid, couldn't help but get surprised. 

Even though this young girl was wearing different, clean clothes and her hair was properly maintained, she still recognized the small figure. Even though she had only seen her once, she still remembered her face. She was the same young girl who stole her fake poach in the other town for the newly discovered dungeon.

But how did she end up here? Was what Aya thought at first before recalling that she was captured by the slave merchant together with the rest of the kids that hid in the dark back alleys.

"Ah!" Aya gasped as if realizing something important. "Are the rest of your friends in here as well?"

The small maid nodded. "Yes, Master bought all of us. Even though everyone was scared at first, he gave us a place and didn't treat us harshly like the bad big guy in the slave cells." 

She happily said this as she quickly got up and gathered all of the fallen sheets. 

"That's why everyone is working hard, so Master won't abandon us."

Aya clenched her own fists for a moment as she watched the small maid walk away with all of her sheets. 

She also needed to discuss this with Hiroki, which is why she headed towards the room that Hiroki had chosen to be his office, which was in the center of the hallway. She knocked twice on the door before hearing Hiroki's voice.

"You may enter," 

Aya quietly opened the door and saw an almost empty-looking office. While it still gave the feeling of being an important room, there was a lot of paperwork and books laying over Hiroki's working desk. 

Hiroki, who was in his ghost form, was floating slightly above the desk while reading a certain book. But on the desk underneath him, scribbling noises could be heard as a pen moved on its own, signing and organizing all of the documents.

"What do you think of the mansion?" Hiroki inquired, his eyes still on the book floating in front of his face.

"It's almost unrecognizable," Aya responded. "But I was surprised when I saw so many people that were cleaning the whole mansion."

"A clean and organized place is what makes a proper person. That's why I hired some people to help us out." 

Hiroki put down the floating book before looking at Aya with a slight smile. 

"Besides, I needed help to reach the quota for the energy drinks. Even with my powers, I don't think I will be able to get it down within a week."

"Did you…" she spoke, her voice soft but firm. "Buy them from the slave house?"

"Yes, I think you should be able to recognize some of them." 

Aya lowered her head, her voice becoming weaker. 

"Hiroki… I…" 

Hiroki picked up what Aya was trying to say. That's why he levitated several papers that were stacked up against one another and presented them in front of Aya. 

Aya looked around at each paper and noticed that each document had names, ages, genders, and many more. Each one of these was a document that proved that Hiroki had ownership over everyone that he bought.

"I know that you feel concerned. And I want to reassure you that there is nothing that you should be worried about." Hiroki explained. "I needed to buy slaves for our chores and for the business I'm managing. You already know that the condition of our hair has already made our lives harder. That's why I needed people who would keep our secrets to their graves. But aside from that, if you feel that they shouldn't be slaves, they also have the option to leave whenever they want. If they hold this document with my signature, they won't be considered slaves anymore."

Aya glanced at the documents before returning her gaze to Hiroki. Deep down, she knew Hiroki wasn't the type to mistreat others. However, the mere fact that they currently owned slaves still gnawed at her conscience.

Maybe she was overthinking things, despite the logic behind Hiroki's words. Hiring someone else would undoubtedly invite trouble due to their unusual traits.

Even if they caused no harm, there would always be a handful of individuals eager to spread rumors and fabricate stories about them. 

In this world, only a few kind-hearted souls would turn a blind eye to such discrimination.

After almost one week, Hiroki had managed to reach more than the required amount of drinks that were requested by Lucas. 

If he worked constantly without taking a break, he would surely be able to make around one hundred energy drinks that were properly sealed in a potion-like glass container. 

But now, with the help of several other kids and maids that he had bought from the slave house, he was able to reach more than one thousand and twenty-three potions in just a week. 

He could've produced even more thanks to the new help from the slaves. However, since he had to teach everyone the process of how the drink is prepared, it took almost two days until they got used to it. 

The process of creating this energy drink was not particularly extraordinary, as long as one knew the recipe. That's why even the children in the mansion quickly became adept at crafting it with precision.

Upon receiving the initial delivery of energy drinks, Lucas, the reincarnated blonde merchant, found himself pleasantly taken aback by both the quantity and impressive quality of the beverages. 

Determined to demonstrate his business acumen and appreciation, he made it a point to compensate Hiroki generously, despite the fact that Hiroki had already invested in the drinks. 

Almost three days later, on a certain afternoon, at the same mansion where Lucas had his primary residence, he received a request for a meeting with a specific person. 

The blonde merchant, of course, knew who that person was, as he was the only one who would request a meeting like that despite the time. 

At the same usual office where Lucas was signing some papers, he heard a knock on his door.

"Enter." 

As the door swung open, a peculiar individual with vibrant green hair and a pristine white uniform stepped inside. His expression remained neutral, forming a straight line devoid of any particular emotion. His arms hung loosely by his sides, conveying a sense of disinterest despite the presence of a sword securely fastened to his waist.

"Where have you been?" the blonde merchant inquired. 

The unmoving knight remained silent before Lucas looked straight at him, his eyes not flinching.

"....I apologize. Some problems came in the way." The green-haired guy responded, his voice sounding almost tired. 

"So, you, coming in here means you have some sort of result from my request?" 

The blonde merchant assumed as he crossed all of his fingers together, his gaze now focused on the guy in the room. 

"Right?"

"Yes, I managed to fulfill your request." 

The green-haired man responded with the same kind of tone in his voice. Then, as he said that, he pulled out of his white cloak a white sheet of paper folded twice before placing it in front of the blonde merchant.

Lucas, paying no mind to the fact that this particular document had taken its time to arrive, allowed a slight smirk to form as he accepted the paper. Leaning back with a sense of relaxation and confidence, he unfolded it and briefly glanced at the information contained within.

"Does he know?" Lucas inquired, his voice sounding interested and cautious.

"The target is unaware." 

Lucas remained silent for a moment before putting the piece of paper back on his desk. His eyes, however, despite being relaxed, remained cautious for a moment.

"You do know why I requested you to do this," the blonde merchant inquired. ",Yusei?"

"Yes, I'm aware."

"Then let me remind you once again." Luas said firmly. "In order to save your sick brothers, then a favor of equal or above value must be paid. If you really want me to continue my search for a cure, you better be telling the truth." 

He continued, his eyes narrowing at the knight in front of him.

"Not at all." The green-haired man responded. "I have no reason to lie."

Lucas hummed to himself for a half-second before letting out a sigh. 

"Very well, you may leave."

The green haired man simply slightly bowed before leaving the room where the blonde merchant kid was thinking to himself. 

Without making any sounds or sudden movements, the green-haired man remained motionless in front of the door. 

However, his eyes had become frozen solid, his eyelids had become so small that they looked like small dots, and eye bags could clearly be seen.

But despite the way his expression had changed, the green-haired man did not react.